What do I need to do to become a customs officer?

What do I need to do to become a customs officer?

You would normally join as an administrative assistant or assistant officer and earn promotion to customs officer or detection officer. Recruitment directly to officer grade sometimes takes place.

To join at officer grade you will probably need five GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths, plus two A levels or equivalent qualifications. You will normally need two GCSEs (A-C) to join HMRC as an administrative assistant, and five GCSEs (A-C) including maths and English for assistant officer jobs.

If you do not have these qualifications, you could take a test to prove your skills and abilities in areas like teamwork and communication. Please check entry requirements for each vacancy.

You must also meet the civil service nationality requirement. All jobs are open to British nationals and many are also open to Commonwealth citizens or European Union nationals.

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Related skills

• Attention to detail
• Communication
• Teamwork

Vocational route

You would be trained on the job through a mixture of in-house training and learning from experienced staff. Training usually lasts around nine months, and may include some residential training courses.

Essential qualifications

• Administrative assistant: five GCSEs (A-C) including maths and English for assistant officer jobs.
• Officer grade: five GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths, plus two A levels or equivalent qualifications.